Potato-planter.



No. 856,309. :PATENTED- JUNE 11,1907.

J. R. STEITZ.

POTATO PLANTER. APPLICATION FILED nov. 5, 100a,

I jww JACOB R. STEITZ, OF LAKE, WISOONSIW.

POTATO-PLANTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1907.

Application filed November 5, 1906. Serial No. 341,973.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAcoB R. STEITZ, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the town of Lake, in the county of Milwaukee and State ofWisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPotato-Planters; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention has for its object to provide simple, economical andeffective means for driving the feed-conveyer of a potato-planter, saidinvention being particularly applicable to potato-planters such aspatented by me January 31, 1905, No. 781,310; and said inventionconsists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination ofparts as hereinafter fully set forth with reference to the accompanyingdrawing, and subsequently claimed. v

The drawing illustrates an elevation of a portion of a potato-planterembodying the features of my invention, the view being partly brokenaway and in section to better show the details. w

Referring by letter to the drawing, A indicates the side-beams of aframe, B crossbraces thereof, and O a tongue secured thereto. Mountedupon the frame is a hopper D arranged to discharge seed potatoes upon aconveyer E, which conveyer is driven by chain-sprockets F secured tosuitable shafts, and is provided for the purpose of delivering thepotatoes to a boot or discharge pipe, which guides the same into thefurrow.

The above described details are similar in construction to my patentreferred to, with the exception that the hopper in the present instanceis forward of the wheels so as to more evenly balance the weight uponthe pole, and also reverse the direction of drive of the conveyer, whichconveyer is driven from the axle G of the machine. The said axle hassecured thereto a sprocket I, that carries an endless chain 2, whichrevolves over an idler sprocket 3, the return side of said chain beingarranged to mesh with the teeth of a sprocket 4 secured to the shaft Hof the conveyer. The idle-sprocket 3 is mounted upon an arm 5 that ispivoted to one of the side beams A, and serves as a belt tightener inconnection with a U-shaped bracket 6, which bracket is adjustably heldto the side-beam by a bolt 7, and has one of its fingers in engagementwith the arm 5, thus serving to hold said arm at an angle sufficient togive the proper tension to the chain-belt 2, and throw the same intomesh with the sprocket 4 of the conveyer.

By the described drive-mechanism it will be seen that one side of thechain-belt 2 will impart motion to the conveyer in the desireddirection, the slack in said belt being taken up by the bracket in asimple and effective manner, with the least possible parts, there beingonly two elements, namely the sprocket-arm and bracket necessary for acomplete drive and chain tightener.

\ I claim:

1. In a potato-planter comprising a hop per. having a conveyer locatedthereunder, splrockets for the conveyer, and shafts for t e sprockets,the combination of a conveyerdrive consisting of a sprocket secured tothe wheel-axle of the potato-planter, and another s rocket secured toone of the conveyersliafts, an arm pivoted to the machineframe, asprocket carried by the arm at its free end, an endless chain-belt inconnection with the sprocket carried by the arm and the wheel-axlesprocket, and means for adjusting said arm with relationto the aforesaidcon veyer shaft sprocket, whereby the link-belt is thrown intoengagement with said last named sprocket.

2. In a potato-planter comprising a hopper having a conveyer locatedthereunder, sprockets for the conveyer, and shafts for the sprockets,the combination of a conveyerdrive consisting of a sprocket secured tothe wheel-axle of the potato-planter, and another sprocket secured toone of the conveyershafts, an arm pivoted to the machine-frame, asprocket carried by the arm at its free end, an endless-chain belt inconnection with the sprocket carried by the arm and the wheelaxlesprocket, and a bracket for engagement with the arm, whereby the latteris adjusted to throw the link-belt into engagement with said last namedsprocket.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand atMilwaukee in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin in thepresence of two Witnesses.

JACOB R. STEITZ. Witnesses:

GEO. W. YOUNG, Gnoaon FELBER.

